Since I'm on a Baron Munchausen 'kick', I thought I'd share some scans of my Lobby Cards from the film by Terry Gilliam: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

But first, here's the portrait of Baron Munchausen by  Gustave Dore'  from1862, which was the inspiration for John Neville's wonderful portrayal of the Baron. Like most of Terry Gilliam's films, there was no shortage of drama and it was a miracle it was even completed-let alone, released. So, say what you will about the film, I think it's great. It's absolutely beautiful to look at, and confounding as hell just like the source material, with Gilliam's fingerprints ALL over it...I loved it.

Anyway, here are some crappy scans of the Lobby Cards that I have collected from the film. Enjoy.

The overall quality of the cards are substandard and nothing like the Lobby Cards from theGolden Age of 1930's-1950's, but they're better than nothing I suppose.

Some posters from the film as well, and that concludes my Baron Munchausen post(s).

Now go watch the film, I think it's on Netflix or some other streaming service. You won't be disappointed.

 

Ronald Searle March 3, 1920 - December 30, 2011

I was thinking about my grandfather the other day, and the stories he used to tell me when I was a little snot-nosed brat. My favorites were always the ones he told me, when he was a kid growing up in Holland and all the crazy shit he would do...inspiring me to do the same, or at least try. But every once in a while he tell me the story of this guy called Baron Munchausen, whose tales were some of the most amazing things I had ever heard of! I LOVED those stories, and always begged for him to tell me more, I could never get enough of them. My imagination would be off and running while I tried to visualize all the details in the stories he would tell me. For the longest time I actually thought these stories were true, because my grandfather was so damn convincing -an I was 5 or 6 at the time... so cut me a little slack. 

Time goes by and I grow up a little bit and forget all about Baron Munchausen, until I was in High School. I was at the town library doing research for some stupid report that was due THAT week, and had no desire in starting. Thoroughly bored with the task at hand, I decided to take a break and wander aimlessly through the library, looking through the stacks for an interesting art book or children's book (don't tell my friends-I'll never live it down) all in the effort of trying to convince myself that I was hard at work, doing research for my report.

Well, imagine my shock when I stumbled upon THIS book!! A flood of memories instantly came rushing back. Sitting at the dining room table with my grandfather telling me AND illustrating the stories of the world's greatest 'liar' and all his amazing adventures.

I immediately put it under my arm and went back to my table and began to read the actual stories my grandfather had summarized and told to me when I was 6. It was a REVELATION, I can't even begin to tell you how I felt, how exciting it was to read the stories...and how utterly disappointed I was with what I thought were the shittiest illustrations I had EVER seen for a children's book! Who the hell was this Ronald Searle guy? Where the fuck did he learn to draw?...And, who gave him the job to actually draw this crap?!! Well, what can I say...I was a 16 year old 'know-it-all', who had his list of REAL illustrators, whose work looked NOTHING like the shit I saw in this book! My list consisted of Howard Ryle, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Frank Frazetta and Bernie Wrightson...artists whose styles, contrasted greatly with Ronald Searle's. 

I had a lot to learn, and that didn't happen until I moved to the big city of Philadelphia to attend Art School, where I was finally exposed to the world of illustration art and the giants in the field...one of them being, Ronald Searle. AS I mentioned before, (and will continue to do so, I'm sure). The late 1980's were the PRE-internet days, so all information was gathered via, magazines, books, gallery openings, lectures or personal interactions with people who knew someone who knew someone etc. Not like today, where you can sit in your underwear in front of a computer  at 2a.m., OR stare into your mobile device while in line to get your fucking latte, and search for ANYTHING you can think of to learn more about your latest obsessions. So, if you want to learn more about the man and his work, do a Google search, there's a wealth of information about him written by people more competent than me AND who have  spent more than 20 minutes on their presentation.

This is a great Ronald Searle book, that I picked up while still in college, and I highly recommend it. It's not complete by any means....but that's what the internet is good for, right?

AND as luck would have it, years later  I was able to find a reprint of the original book that started it all at San Diego Comic Con, bringing everything full circle.

... AND, to prove the internet is good for SOME things, I was able to track down a few images of the original illustrations he did for this book. I wish they were Higher Rez, but they're still pretty good,   highlighting the ink washes that contrast nicely with the bold black ink work.

Truth be told, he's become one of my favorite illustrators. I absolutely love his ink and wash illustrations and wish my hand was as light and delicate as his...but it's not. I'm too uptight and controlling and can't seem to allow myself that calligraphic freedom.

But I keep trying.

 

John Singer Sargent 1856-1925

Self Portrait 1906

Since I'm no longer in school, I will not be writing a long, boring report  about John Singer Sargent.  I find that most people don't like to reading anymore because it takes up to much of their time, when they could be spending those precious minutes watching TikTok videos and other important Social media nonsense.. SO, I'll try to keep it quick and easily digestible.

• Sargent was born in Florence, Italy January 12, 1856 

• He was educated in Paris, France in the 1880's and lived most of his life in London, England and traveled the world extensively producing over 900 oil paintings, over 2000 watercolors along with countless sketches and charcoal  drawings.

•Considered to be the "leading portrait painter of his generation" specializing in Edwardian style luxury 

Lady With A Rose 1882

• He had a critical triumph at the Paris Salon of 1882 with his painting  Lady with a Rose (Charlotte Louise Burkhardt)

• Then, in 1884 he sent only one painting to the Paris Salon, his notorious Madame X. It was a portrait of the young socialite Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau, who was 25 at the time....and it caused such an uproar that it put his Parisian career in jeopardy.

 

This is without question my favorite painting of his, and the subject of this silly post. I've had the pleasure of seeing it multiple times at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, leaving me dumbfounded...absolutely speechless. It is incredible on so many levels. I wish I could sit here and drone on poetically like a pretentious art critic, but I can't. All I can say is- it's a fucking masterpiece and has to be seen in person. I can only imagine the impact it must have had in 1884 at the Paris Salon...BUT this wasn't the version of the painting they saw.

Madame X 1884 - New York Metropolitan Museum of Art

(Photograph of the original painting of Madame X that was displayed at the 1884 Paris Salon)

THIS is the version of the painting that everyone saw at the Paris Salon, and it caused such an uproar that it almost destroyed Sargent's career as the preeminent portrait painter of his time. Imagine the audacity of Sargent to position Madame Gautreau in such 'a haughty pose' staring indifferently to the left, and wearing a black velvet dress with deep décolletage with the right strap dangling precariously off the shoulder. He had it framed in an ornate multileveled gilded frame which featured a busy design of overlapping leaves and cross straps which complemented the painting beautifully without over powering it. Once framed, he varnished it and named it: Madame X (the polite gesture to keep a respectable woman's name out of notices and reviews) and delivered it to the Salon. He didn't seem concerned because of all his previous awards, guaranteed the painting would be accepted for display.

So once the painting was delivered, he left for holiday to London and spent time with the Pre-Ralphelite Brotherhood while he accepted commissions. Unfortunately most subjects of those commissions, were artistically uninspiring and not like the rich, beautiful and brilliant clients he had in Paris.  He returned to Paris on April 29, just in time for 'insiders' would get a chance for a first look at the exhibition...little did he know, the 'shit was about to hit the fan.' 

In all his years of showing at the Salon he never had a bad experience...until now. Times were-a-changing, and the religious leaders in France had begun to publicly denounce the rampant immorality and pervasive decadence of Paris. This painting became the lightning rod for the new morality trying to gain a foothold in Paris at the time.

Needless to say, Salon attendees were shocked and deeply offended...insert 'laughing emoji' here.... remember, there's a BIG difference between acceptance and accolade.

"She looked monstrous and decomposed. The painting was indecent. Her bare white shoulders and décolletage, without a breast in site disgusted them. And that fallen strap! Was it a prelude to or the aftermath of sex? The fact that she was looking away from her audience made her appear blithely indifferent to her dishabille and called attention to her shamelessness."  

(Photograph of the original painting of Madame X and photoshop recreation by Mike Pieczonka)

Almost all the reviews about this painting said the same thing damaging both Sargent's and Gautreau's reputations in Paris society. Once the Salon ended, the painting was returned to Sargent where he was free to do with it what he wanted free from any outside pressures and because Gautreau wanted nothing to do with it while she focused on repairing her reputation.

Here's a photograph of the modified  painting of Madame X in Sargent's studio where it stayed until 1916, when he sold it for $1000.00 to The Met.

FANTASTIC book about John Singer Sargent and Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau. I highly recommend it if you want to learn the whole story.

Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau-1878

 

Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau

The following are various Studies and Sketches for the Madame X Painting.

Next time you're in New York, make sure to visit the Met, Gallery 771 in the American Wing, and see this painting for yourself. TRUST ME...you won't be disappointed.